[Grammar] This cake is/was made for you!

[kadioguy]

(At a birthday party)

Hello, Jane! Surprise! This cake is/was made for you!

(My original sentence)
-----------
a. This cake was made for you!
b. This cake is made for you!

Which one should I use?

I think the action "make" happened in the past, but the purpose is still of the present time.

What do you think?

 

[jutfrank]

Both are odd things to say in such a situation.

You can just say This is for you, while holding the cake where she can clearly see it.

In fact, you probably don't even need to go that far—Jane obviously knows it's her birthday, and the fact that you've got a birthday cake should be a dead giveaway it's for her!

If you want to make it clear that you made the cake yourself rather than bought it, you can say I made this (cake) for you.

 

[tedmc]

Is it fair to say that the sentences are correct but not natural because they are in the passive voice rather than the active?

 

[jutfrank]

Is it fair to say that the sentences are correct but not natural because they are in the passive voice rather than the active?

I'd say the passive voice places an undue and hence question-raising focus on the unknown agent (the maker of the cake). That is to say, it could be taken to have a sense of mystery.

The active voice obviously works well in I made this for you. However, if you picked it up from the local supermarket, I bought this for you doesn't sound quite so impressive!

(Both of kadioguy's sentences are grammatical, if that's what you mean by 'correct'.)

 

[GoesStation]

Hello, Jane! Surprise! This cake is/was made for you!

Only was is at all likely in the context, though the sentence is not one that a native speaker would use there.

 

[Tarheel]

It's my birthday, and we're having a party. There's a birthday cake there. The surprise would be if it was for somebody else.
;-)

 

[mrmvp]

Not a teacher.

You should use the active voice not the passive voive. Passive voice is used when the doer "agent" is sometimes unknown or insignificant. Passive voive is commonly used in news report.

For example

Five thousand were killed in xxxx. The doer is "Not specified".

Sometimes it is used to avoid responsibility.

Barack Obama said "mistakes were made".

https://youtu.be/ZjAuEHpg2jo

I hope it helps a bit.

 

[Tarheel]

Try:

I baked this cake for you.